Revealed: With zero knowledge about coaching, read how Oliseh used Super Eagles to learn

– Former coach Chief Adegboye Onigbinde speaks about Oliseh’s exit

– Onigbinde reveals how he was treated in 1982 when he was coach of the Green Eagles

– Oliseh hopes Siasia qualifies Nigeria for the Gabon 2017 Nation’s cup

Chief Adegboye Onigbinde, a former coach of Super Eagles has addressed the events that led to Sunday Oliseh resignation.

Oliseh, who had blasted his critics in his famous YouTube rant, took to his official Twitter handle in the wee hours of Friday, February 27, to announce his resignation.

Oliseh cited unpaid salaries, lack of cooperation, among other factors, as reasons responsible for his action.

But in this interview with Naij.com sports, Onigbinde discloses why the relationship between Oliseh and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) didn’t go as planned. He also talks about the controversies that erupted during his time as coach of the Super Eagles and the future of Nigeria football.

Read excerpts from Onigbinde’s interview with Naij.com below:

What is your take on Oliseh’s resignation and the drama that has ensued?

Well you remember my opinion when he was about to be appointed, I had my reservations and I’m not happy that the  situation has made me say what I didn’t want to say, which is: Didn’t I tell them?

However, as far as am concern that has become history, let the NFF move forward as they have appointed some people to act as interims, so let us see the result.

You left out the drama that has trailed Oliseh’s exit. What is your reaction to allegation by the NFF that Oliseh was paid N20million before he resigned?

I don’t want to speak on this because they plan to go to court, so let’s wait for that. If a situation is going before a court of law, you don’t dabble into it.

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So now that there is a change in the coaching crew of the Super Eagles, what are the hopes for our football?

The problem is not weather one coach is going to succeed or not. We have to sit and re-examine our football administration. It is not totally fair to blame Oliseh because a system brought him into position. So we have to look at the whole thing holistically as we have a national problem.

In our football administration, there is confusion in the function of the technical department and the technical committee. For example, in a properly ran system, the technical committee are not supposed to have any direct business with any coach. It is the technical department that should handle any issue with the coach. Where necessary, they report to the technical committee and the technical committee where necessary, reports to the executives. That’s a simple procedure because Oliseh slogging it out with the President of the NFF is an insult. It’s not an insult on Pinnick but an insult to the country.

This was what I warned them about when he was coming in. They picked somebody who has not coach any serious club, not to talk about a national team to come and use Nigeria national team for learning. I really feel bad about what happened. I have nothing personal against Oliseh and we are taking about Nigeria and not about him here.

For instance, after the failure in Rwanda, he refused to submit his report to the technical committee and actually the report should not be sent to the technical committee. It should be sent to the technical department and they shouldn’t have started with that report.

I feel bad because when Nigeria wanted to experiment whether or not a Nigerian can handle the national team, I was the guinea pig. That was in 1982. I knew what I went through that period and I knew what sacrifices I made.

Going by everything you’ve said, tell us what then is the major problem in our football? Could it be the NFF, our coaches, the players or what?

It is a national problem, not a football problem. Nigeria is a country where as a chairman, I can appoint a carpenter who helped some years back to head a technical committee.

In 1982, there was advertisement for Chief Coach of the Nigeria national team. I understand that 60 people applied for the job, we were shortlisted to seven, and then an interview was conducted.

We were asked to present a two year programme for the national team to be presented at the interview. The programme I prepared was 10 pages and with all my papers of my certificates and others, I presented over 80 pages.

When last did we do something like that in the selection of our coaches?

Everything must be systematic and I will leave it at that!

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Under coach Siasia, do you think Nigeria stand a chance of getting at least four points in our double header against Egypt in some weeks from now?

Did anybody tell you have changed my nationality? (Laughs)

How can I wish my country bad? I wish my country well but I know it doesn’t come by magic. That’s why whatever is going to happen on March 25 and 29, depends on what we put in the team between now and then. It doesn’t come by magic; you have to work for it.

But don’t you think the shortness of time to work on the team will affect Siasia and his boys against Egypt?

If you talking about the shortness of time then let me remind you that I started with the Green Eagles on January 28, 1983, and my first friendly match was against Egypt in Lagos on February 18. This came barely three weeks to my appointment. The game ended in a draw, two days later we played again and it also ended in a draw. But that was how I started systematically until October when I went to Accra to beat Ghana for this first and only time in the history of both teams. There were some other outstanding results along the line.

So it depends on how much Siasia puts in the team and how much he knows.

If you were in Siasia and Amuneke shoes at this moment what will you do?

Very hypothetical, I am not in their shoes (smiles).

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But what advice do you have for them?

All coaches in Nigeria are my colleagues and some of them have my contact details. So if they need my advice they will call. I don’t play to the gallery and I’m not a job seeker. There are coaches even at club level who call me to seek advice.

In 1983, I didn’t invite a foreign based player into the Green Eagles. In 2002, when I was going to Korea/Japan World cup, I started building from home and that was what brought in people like Vincent Enyeama, Femi Opabunmi and the rest. Look at where Enyeama is today!

In football, we say that a player is as good as his coach. So, the first thing is that you must have the knowledge to identify the problems. It’s like a patient going to the doctor, if the doctor cannot diagnose, how does he prescribe?

Let’s talk about Enyeama now that you mentioned him. Do you think the Super Eagles still need him, likewise Emenike?

Yes why not! I feel bad about how Oliseh handled Enyeama and Emenike’s cases. As a coach, you must respect every of your players. Enyeama’s just recently received an award from FIFA as best goalkeeper of last month in the whole world. We want the best for the country.

What is your reaction to reports that NFF is considering getting a foreign coach?

I wish them the best luck but I have the impression that they must have been misquoted.

The post Revealed: With zero knowledge about coaching, read how Oliseh used Super Eagles to learn appeared first on Nigeria News today & Breaking news | Read on NAIJ.COM.